Jumpin’ Jezebel(le)….

I had a spur of the moment brunch yesterday, whilst wandering the antique/coffee strip at the historic town of Guildford. It is only 15 minutes drive from me, but I went there by train, as it is their monthly craft market day and I expected parking to be an issue. I have never been to this market before, and was expecting big things….only to be pretty disappointed. It was just one room (the old town hall) with about a dozen stalls selling value-priced but not very exciting stuff. I could easily have found a parking space as well, but it was still nice to just wander up and down browsing – there are several antique/curio/collectibles shops and an excellent secondhand book shop – always worth a delve into.

As usual I had a book with me, so I decided to stop and have an early lunch at Jezebelle, a fairly new tapas bar/cafe. It was too early for tapas so I had brekky instead, which was absolutely delicious. I had the “hot smoked salmon cake, poached eggs & avocado”. There were 2 eggs, perfectly poached, except a bit cold by the time I finished mucking about taking photos haha, but that was my own fault and I am quite happy with cold food anyway. The salmon cakes (x2) were baked rather than fried, so not greasy and kind of like a mini hashbrown/frittata thing. The dish didn’t come with bread apparently so I asked for some rye toast with it, and this came with a tomato/onion salsa on top that was quite spicy and blended perfectly with the other flavours.

I had English Breakfast tea (it was the silk bags from Tea Drop, who seem to have a completely monopoly on coffee shop/restaurant supplying here in WA these days – it is nice tea, but I would prefer it a little stronger – I don’t think they put enough tea in the bags) and a glass of house sparkling. After all, it says on the menu that champagne is okay to drink any time, as it is always 12.00pm somewhere. I took them at their word.

The decor here is very modern – posh toilets! – and the service was good. The staff were all “young and hip” and very friendly. There was a family group arriving at the same time as me, and they were the customers from hell – they asked to be moved to a different table 3 times (just to be painful, as there was nothing wrong with any of the seating/view/light/temperature arrangements and you could choose to sit outside or inside) – I could see the poor staff doing their best to please them and no doubt wishing they would just go away! Thankfully, this lot only had coffees and didn’t stay all that long, as they were loud and had snivelling whiny kids with them, right behind me. When you are alone with a good book and have ‘been there, done that’ you don’t want rude, noisy kids mucking up your quiet Sunday morning! That’s my ‘old person rant’ over with anyway lol.

Prices were comparable to elsewhere in Perth: $16 for my main dish which is pretty good considering there was no charge for the toast (not sure if that was a mistake or not) and $4.50 for the tea. The only thing I realised when I got home and checked the bill, was that they actually charged me $18 for a premium glass of champers, when I asked for the house sparkling which should have cost $9.00. The reason I didn’t notice at the time, was that 1) I thought they were charging me extra for my toast, and 2) I had a 25% off discount by using the Entertainment card, so in my head I thought the total was about right, at the time. Hmmm, well my fault for not checking the bill properly at the time I suppose.

Had I been there a bit later in the day, there is live music from 1-3pm on Sundays, which would have been very nice alongside a few tapas dishes.

Happy Brunching!

Annette’s Salad

At an OIDFA gathering last weekend, we had a yummy salad of chicken, salad and rolls, including a delicious bowl of salad made by one of the members, Annette.

We all asked how this was made and were told it was just avocado, feta cheese, red onion, tomato and basil – topped with bought Italian dressing! How simple. So I made some for my dinner one night this week – I added fresh bean shoots as well, for some extra crunch and nutrition, and it was very good but not QUITE as good as Annette’s. Maybe it was the brand of Italian dressing I bought, or probably it’s a case of something never being as good as the original – who knows, but for sure it was edible and very healthy.

I don’t think you need specific quantities for this, but here is how I did it:

Annette’s Salad

1 ripe avocado, chopped

100 gms feta cheese, chopped (I used low-fat)

1 red onion, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

a handful of fresh bean shoots

1/3 cup Italian dressing (I used fat-free)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Toss, refrigerate until ready to serve, and toss again.

Serves 4 as a side dish.

Happy Summer Fooding!

A-Fooding-We-Will-Go

What a week! I spent 3 days over last weekend,  in the South of Western Australia – staying in Albany and Pemberton. The motel in Albany was AWFUL – built in the 60s and hasn’t been touched since. On the other hand, the Forest Lodge in Pemberton was lovely, very relaxing and quiet, with parrots everywhere and a couple of kangaroos visiting us in the early morning.

I don’t really have to say much about the lovely meals we enjoyed – the pics tell it all!  The best was lunch at the Denmark Tavern – $21.95 for a 2 course lunch, and it was not your usual “roast of the day”, “fish of the day” type choices but proper gourmet options. Such great value, when you think that the main courses were from $24-$34 each. I had spring rolls but tried someone else’s squid with lemon aoli – divine. All three of us had the prawn & smoked salmon salad, and it was simply stunning, both to look at and to eat.

 

It’s a hectic time! After being away there has been a ball on Monday night and a luncheon on Wednesday, more last minute Christmas shopping yesterday with visitors, and I worked today. We’re all ready for Christmas Day, and tomorrow I will be cookign the turkey and pork, making the stuffing, getting the table ready, doing a last minute cleanup, and making the Christmas pudding, which I do in the microwave. I will send others out to pick up the fresh prawns, booze and any last minute ingredients that I am pretty sure I already have but find out tomorrow I’ve forgotten!

Generally it’s going to be pretty relaxing on Christmas Day itself, as I plan to get most things done tomorrow, and there will only be 8 of us at the dinner table, which we will set up outside but in the shade (31C expected).

And we’re starting off with a champagne brekky with friends at the beach – fresh strawberries, cherries and cheeses to start the day – can’t get more relaxed than that.

I hope you all have a wonderful and very special day, full of lots of Happy Christmas Fooding!

Mexican Salad

Well I am back into the swing of things well and truly…..loads of studying, thinking about Christmas (less than 2 months away!), and the usual boring things around the house – ironing etc. Also really hanging out to go out on the boat again now that the weather is mostly really great and warm – fingers crossed for this weekend if the wind/sea conditions hold. I wish I had more time for my craft activities at the moment, but it is not to be. Hopefully I will get a good catchup over the Christmas holidays, in between visitors coming to stay.

This vibrant, colourful salad is one that a lacemaking friend of mine, Margaret, has been making to bring to the annual Christmas gathering of that particular lace group, for years and years. We’ve all pinched it from her as it is so yummy and popular. I am sure you could vary the layers and put in whatever you like really. It looks best served in a high sided, glass bowl, so that you can see the colours of the different layers, through the sides.

Mexican Salad

cos lettuce leaves

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

cucumber, sliced

400 gm can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

red capsicum, finely chopped

green capsicum, finely chopped

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

tasty cheese, grated

1 jar salsa (your choice of mild, medium or hot)

1 large ripe avocado, chopped

200 ml tub sour cream (low-fat)

corn chips

Break the lettuce leaves into bite sized pieces, and place in bottom of a large, deep, glass bowl.

Layer the remaining ingredients on top of the lettuce, in the following order: celery, cucumber, kidney beans, capsicum, onion, cheese, salsa, avocado, sour cream.

Last to go on top is the corn chips – crushed these in your hands and sprinkle to cover the top. Refrigerate until serving.

Happy Fooding!

Final product. Yum!

Vegetarian Fajitas

I really like the flavour of soy mince – there are various types and brands available, but the one pictured below is the one I can easily get here in Perth. As well as being vegetarian, it is also gluten-free, low-fat, cheap, and has no artificial nasties in it. It also tastes like meat, so you can serve this to a meat & non-meat eating audience quite happily and please them all.

For the easy and very quick vegetarian fajita mixture pictured above, I simply stirfried a chopped brown onion, half a green capsicum (cut into strips), and 2 stalks of celery (chopped, including the leaves) in a tablespoon of olive oil.  I then added the reconstituted soy mince (follow pkt directions – in this case it was just put it in a bowl, pour over stipulated amount of boiling water, leave for 5 mins then use as desired) and a packet of fajita seasoning (or any other spicy flavourings). Stir fry for about 5 minutes, stirring and adding water, bit at a time, so that it doesn’t stick to the pan.

That’s it really – I served this with tortillas and various accompaniments – choose whatever you like – guacomole, rice, lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream, taco sauce, yoghurt, cucumber, refried beans, chopped chillies…..then wrap up and eat.

For a gluten-free version of the wrapped end result, use GF tortillas or wraps (Mission brand makes good ones).

Happy Fooding!

This is the fake mince I use

A Pile of Green Stuff! My Guacamole Speciality….

I’m famous in my family for this, no idea why as Guacamole versions are as common as muck, and I don’t really follow a particular quantity or anything. I first tasted Guacamole at my dad & stepmum’s engagement party, and as they are coming up to their 25th wedding anniversary in November, it was a fair while ago! I finally found a recipe in an old Family Circle Christmas-themed magazine, and have been making it ever since – only I really just guess the quantities, depending on the size and quality of the avocadoes.

So here’s a vague official recipe, but I do tend to just splash it all in! Serve with corn chips, carrot sticks, or have as an accompaniment with your next fajitas or tacos. Yum.

Guacamole

flesh of 2 very ripe avocadoes

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

few drops Tabasco sauce

2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, chopped (or 1/4 tsp ground coriander if you can’t get fresh)

Mix all ingredients together in a food processor until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Note: if you prefer it to be a more lumpy texture, mash it all together with a fork instead of using the food processor. Also you can add finely chopped tomato for a variation.

Happy Fooding!

Salmon & Avocado…Vital Ingredients…

Tomorrow I am flitting off to Brisbane to attend Koala Convention, a 9 day embroidery extravaganza. This is my 4th Koala in a row and I just love it to bits. My mum is flying in from Melbourne to meet me there, and we will enjoy various workshops, a banquet dinner, trivia night and cheese/wine night. Yay for us!

The lunches, which are included in the cost, are amazing – I really have to keep up my morning 6km walks, because the rest of the time our activities are fairly sedentary (apart from walks to the local pub for drinks on occasion!) – by the end of the event everyone is complaining about the kgs they have put on!

I am on holidays from study for the next 3 weeks, so am really going to make the most of this craft catchup time. And I passed all my first semester units, so even more reason to enjoy myself!

I won’t have much Internet access for the next 10 days, but will leave you with this easy meal idea….you already know that salmon and avo are my 2 favourite foods, so a salad involving both of them is irresistible to me.  As I am often alone for evening meals I sometimes cannot be bothered cooking a “proper” meal just for me, so I have a few recipes I just throw together when I’m feeling lazy.

One such recipe is this salad….the main ingredients are rice stick noodles (OH so healthy and light tasting, without that bloated too-many-carbs feeling you get from a pasta salad), smoked salmon and avocado, with a dressing of lemon juice, rice vinegar and wasabi.  Don’t let the wasabi put you off – this is not a hot dish, the wasabi is minimal enough to just give a hint of flavour.

And if you can get it, always use wasabi powder rather than the paste that comes in tubes – any good Asian grocery store should have the powder, in little tins, or in humongous 1kg bags if you’re really keen to use it a lot!  I can always tell whether it is paste or powder when I eat Japanese food: the tubed stuff gives you less of an immediate “kick”, but stays with you longer – the powder gives you an almighty blast that really clears your nose (great if you have a cold!!!), but it goes quickly and leaves you with a much nicer after-taste.  If you’ve only ever had the paste, try the powder and you’ll understand what I mean. Very different experiences.

There is no actual recipe or proper quantities for this – just start with your noodles, salmon and avo, and make up the rest as you go along. Here is what I did this time:

a handful of rice stick noodles (place in a bowl, pour boiling water over and let sit for about 15 mins then drain, rinse & drain again)

1/2 ripe avocado, chopped roughly

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

2 radishes, finely chopped

handful of bean sprouts (ie mung, chickpea, alfalfa etc

smoked salmon, chopped

cracked pepper

1 tsp wasabi powder, mixed to a smooth paste with about 3 tsp of water

about 2 tbsp rice vinegar

about 2 tbsp lemon juice

Mix everything together well and scoff into it with a fork!

Other ingredients that I often toss in include cucumber, snow pea sprouts, bean shoots, baby corn spears (chopped), asparagus (raw or lightly steamed), cooked frozen peas or beans, pine nuts, baby spinach, carrots, coriander, parsley and semi-dried tomatoes.  Add anything you like in fact. This is real pig-out comfort food, only healthy!

Until post-Koala, Happy Fooding!

Food Word Fun!

How cool is this?!! (I haven’t had time to muck around with the picture formatting, sorry, so you’ll need to click on the link).

Salmon Avocado Wordle

The other week at uni we played around with Wordle (yes, it IS related to my studies! although I have been known to play on Facebook & email during class….).  We’re doing a lot of stuff on Web 2.0/Library 2.0 at the moment, and mind mapping led us to Wordle. Fun! The above is what Wordle came up with just by my entering my blog URL.

Check out the Wordle gallery for what others have done. Type in a few words when you are bored (or you are just being a word nerd, like me), and see what you can come up with.

Happy (Word) Fooding!

Haloumi & Avocado Fingers – Update

With grilled truss cherry toms on the side

Today I got around to making the Haloumi & Avocado Fingers, that I mentioned the other day.  Actually I just used the basic idea of combining those two ingredients, and did it in my own way. It was so delicious!  I’ll call it a snack rather than fingers, as I didn’t cut the haloumi into strips, but rather just into 2 thin slabs.  Perfect for lunch, and in fact it would make a yummy special breakfast as well.

I know the pumpernickel toast I’ve served it on is not the most attractive thing, but it tastes better than it looks!

Haloumi & Avocado Snack

180g pkt haloumi cheese

1/2 ripe avocado, sliced or chopped

few drops truffle oil

merken (or chilli powder), to taste

cracked pepper, to taste

alfalfa sprouts, to garnish

toast, to serve

Slice the haloumi right through the centre, to form two thin rectangular slices.  Place on an oven tray and cook under a medium grill for 3 minutes.  Take tray out, turn haloumi over carefully with an egg slide. Top with avocado and sprinkle with merken (or chilli powder) and a few drops of truffle oil. Place back under the grill for about 5 minutes until cheese is browned around the edges and avocado is cooked.

Serve on toast, with pepper & an alfalfa sprout garnish.  Serves 2.

Merken, which I’ve talked about before, is not available anywhere that I can find, here in Australia (if anyone ever does come across it in shops or online please let me know), so unless you buy it from the US online, or know someone going to Chile (you can bring it in as long as you declare it), just use any spicy or smoky condiment that you like.

Happy Fooding!